Why Do I
Need A Website?
There are
lots of reasons why you should at least consider having a website, and a
few of them are set out below to spark ideas for you. Mostly they
provide a more cost-effective way of communicating, and widen your
horizons to a global community
To Use Email
To generate awareness
To improve communication
To receive information
To improve competitive
advantage
To Use
Email
Most people get connected
to be able to send and receive Email. With email you can send an
electronic note or letter to someone at 9.00 am and get a reply by 9.30
the same day.
Sending an email takes only seconds.
You can send the same email letter to say, 100 customers, for less
than the cost of one ordinary letter, and if you send it at after 6 p.m.
or at weekends, that one letter will cost no more than 5p (with BT).
Daytime rates for email are the same as a minimum rate local phone call,
but you can send to hundreds of addresses for the same cost as the one.
The cost is no different if you want to send an email to Australia,
America, Amsterdam or Accrington. It costs next to nothing.
Not only that, but you can send software programmes, sound files,
photographs and even video files with the email at the same speed.
To
Generate Awareness
The next most important
reason is probably that a website of your own will promote your
organisation 24 hours every day, seven days each week, and to the whole
world.
Nothing else offers this
flexibility.
If your business relies on the acquisition or distribution of
information, you can't afford not to be online.
Your customers can have a current parts list or delivery schedule or
price list for your goods or services at any time, just by looking up
the relevant page on your website. Just imagine, one price list
alteration and the whole world can see it, instantly. No reprinting and
distribution of expensive catalogues.
To
Improve Communication
Some of the larger
businesses use a website to keep employees such as sales representatives
around the country, or even around the world in touch with head office.
As teleworking grows, this is likely to become increasingly
important.
To
Receive Information
You might also want to get
connected so that you can receive information from the Internet.
Using a Web browser programme, finding new suppliers, comparing
prices, and getting product specifications are all quite easy.
You can even plan your train journeys from an interactive Railtrack
website that asks you to type where you are gong from and to, and what
time you want to leave or arrive.
It then provides a list of train times and connections for the
journey that you can print and take with you.
It is as up to date as to-day.
To
Improve Competitive Advantage
One of the reasons that
small businesses go online is that a well designed website for even a
one man business can have just the same presence on the web as a
multi-national corporation.
Communication, marketing and printing costs are lower too, as is the
cost of using full colour.
Larger businesses see it as a way to reinforce not only their brand
(which is becoming increasingly important), but also as a way to
reinforce an image of leadership and potential.
All businesses see it as the key to keeping ahead of the competition.
There are other reasons, too numerous to go into here. Don't think
the web is not for you, it is the future.
It will change society, it will change our entertainment, and the way
we do business.
It will also reshape our town centres as financial organisations,
brokers, agencies and other businesses first merge, then abandon their
overhead-laden town centre shops, and opt for access to a bigger market
with lower overheads direct and live on-line.
As someone said of the web,
"In the coming days, Web is going to be the best way of communication,
as what is a phone today".
